Tag: Sony PlayStation Portable

Being downloaded as I write this, the free PlayStation media manager from Sony, MediaGo’s new update promises quite a ton of useful changes. The 91.2MB update contains these new features:-

The update allows users to download games/comics without having to connect their PSPs (PlayStation Portables) to the computer first. An amazing plus point because having to connect your device to MediaGo every time you download something from PSN (PlayStation Network) just looks silly.

Users can download and playback videos from the PSN and view them on their computers (in standard definition, as opposed to what one would see when they used their PlayStation 3)

Downloads can be queued something that was sorely missing in the previous versions and can be automatically sorted once downloaded. Very neat!

Sony hates the entire used-games business. They, as the publishers, get not even the slightest percentage of it; everything goes to the retailer. So they decided to make their own money from this business by targeting online play, the forte of many games including SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3. Bought a used copy of Fireteam Bravo 3? You need to dish out $20 to play online that is the price of the unlock code for playing online. Buyers of the UMD have to register their PSP over the PlayStation Network (PSN) with this code to be able to play online.

So what prompted Sony to make this perfectly legal, yet absolutely lame and non-gamer friendly (when you do consider that most gamers are college students who need to save up money to buy games) move? In an interview with IGN, John Keller of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) says that this is an initiative to fight piracy on the PSP. Yes he just said that you, the used-game buyer, are a pirate.

Piracy continues to be an issue of concern for the PSP platform. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 is a trial run for a new initiative we are exploring for the platform.

On the reception of this initiative, Keller stated this:-

From our research, this will be received quite positively. Remember, piracy affects more than just the creators of the game.

Sure, Mr. Keller, the used game buyers will be very happy with this initiative.